Dagworth-Granger's Experiment
by ForeverAMalfoy
Summary: When the Grangers got a visit from Professor McGonagall, Hermione got more than she bargained for. You're a witch! Your father's a squib! Your great-grandfather is the famous potioneer! Oh, here, take this potion, it'll just calm you down. Little did she know, it would send her back to 1971 as a lost 5 year old and into Dorea Potter's waiting arms. Granger Bashing later.
1. My Daughter

**AN:** Before we begin, I just wanted to drop a quick line to let you all know that I am NOT giving up on _Time_. This idea popped into my head while reading _The Debt of Time_ by ShayaLonnie (absolutely amazing, by the way!). Enjoy!

* * *

Hermione Granger always knew something was different about her, something special, even. She could often be seen thinking to herself about a book, and suddenly that book would be in her hand or waiting for her on her bed. Other things happened to her as well, things that frightened her.

It was a relief to Hermione when Professor Minerva McGonagall arrived at the doorstep of her home and told the Grangers of the wonders of Hogwarts. She wasn't a freak; she wasn't abnormal! She beamed at her parents when the Professor uttered the words that changed the young girl's life.

"Miss Granger, you, like myself, are a witch."

That happiness was short-lived however. The moment the door closed behind the esteemed professor, her father, the man who doted on her for the past eleven years, turned on her.

"You may go to that...school," he said, the pause and tone worrying Hermione. He only used _that_ tone when discussing parents of his younger patients who didn't give much thought to their child's dental health. "However, we will have to move house. We've stayed hidden for fifteen years, I'd like to stay hidden. If that McGonagall witch can find us, so can the ones who killed your grandparents. Death Eaters."

"But Daddy, you heard the professor! Harry Potter saved the wizarding world!" Hermione said, softly yet firmly.

"That doesn't mean the arseholes who killed my parents aren't still out there!" her father roared. "We thought we were safe! My...my father was a pureblood, meaning a person born of magical parents. He was also considered a blood traitor. He rebelled against the...being that Harry Potter supposedly defeated. I'm what's called a squib - that is, a child born to magical parents, yet doesn't have magic. Your mother is a muggle who's privy to the wizarding world, because of me."

"Daddy, what do you mean?" Hermione said, fearfully.

"It means that horrific things may happen if you attend Hogwarts under the name Granger. Tell me, you've looked at the book the professor gave you. There's one famous wizard with the name Granger. Who was it?"

After thinking for half a second, she replied. "Hector Dagworth-Granger. He was a potioneer."

"And your great-grandfather," her mother finally said. "Love, I don't think it's a good idea for you to go to Hogwarts."

"I must, Mum!" Hermione cried, standing quickly. "I can already make things happen without thinking about them! I need to learn to control it!"

Standing, Emma Granger looked at her daughter, her only child sadly, before leaving the room and returning with two vials that Hermione had never seen before.

"It's called a calming drought, love. It'll make you calm down and think rationally," Helen said softly, handing her daughter the sickly-looking green potion. Hermione drank it without question.

After she was certain Hermione had finished the potion completely, Helen took her own, sky blue potion.

"I'm sorry Hermione," her father whispered softly while her mother's face was turned away from her, to hide the tears.

"Sorry for wha..." Hermione started, before falling into a deep, comatose state. The bottle slipped from her hand as she slid to the floor, rolling across the room and coming to rest at Daniel Granger's feet. The spiky scrawl seemed to mock him, for siring a magical child, for not being able to protect her, and for doing what he knew was wrong, but unavoidable.

 _Time-travel drought. EXPERIMENTAL - NOT TO BE USED UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY!_

It was necessary, Daniel felt. He needed to protect her, even though she wouldn't even know him when she woke. Even though she would no longer be a Granger when she woke. He just hoped the family the potion was keyed to would be understanding.

While Mr. Granger was experiencing every emotion possible, his wife was sequestered in the loo, clutching her stomach and moaning softly. On the counter beside her sat the vial she had taken, the script on the label matching the one on the vial currently laying in the living room. _BELIEVED TO CURE INFERTILITY IN WOMEN - UNTESTED. ONLY KNOWN SIDE EFFECT - ANY OFFSPRING PRODUCED FROM THIS WILL NOT BE MAGICAL._

Emma Granger was determined to give her husband a normal child. By any means necessary.

* * *

She was sore all over, and exhausted, but she felt a pull to something, or rather, someone. She knew she couldn't stop until she had reached her destination. She was close, she could feel it.

Meanwhile, a beautiful woman, her black hair styled perfectly, her gray eyes glistening felt the pull as well. The same pull any magical mother felt for their child. She knew it wasn't her precious James, the child that almost never was. James was safe, as a matter of fact, he was seated beside her, shuffling his ever-present deck of Exploding Snap.

Realization dawned in Dorea Black Potter's eyes, which changed from a soft gray to hard steel in a moment.

"Maggie," she said softly, calling upon the elf her mother in law had gifted James when he was born.

"Yes, Missus?" the elf said immediately. While Maggie technically belonged to James, Dorea and Charlus agreed that Maggie was to be more than just a nanny elf. Their child would not be spoiled like her cousins, like most of the other Blacks.

"Would you keep an eye on James for a while? There's is a pressing matter that I must deal with immediately," she said aloud, then, leaning over to whisper to the elf, she finished her thought. "The experiment of Mr. Dagworth-Granger's that we agreed to be keyed to has just been activated. I need to go find the child and bring them here as soon as possible. I'd also like for you to ask Mippy to get the room across from James ready."

With a nod, the elf disappeared for a moment, seemingly to talk to Mippy, then reappeared before James realized she was ever gone. "Master James, Maggie will be making your lunch then we's can play the Exploding Snaps!"

Nodding once to the elf, Dorea placed a kiss on James' head and walked to the apparition point, just outside the front door of Potter Manor.

* * *

It didn't take long for the girl to realize her destination had gotten much closer. It wasn't until she was being held closely by a nice woman in a long, black dress did she realize that the woman _was_ her destination.

"You poor dear, you must be exhausted!" the nice woman whispered in her ear. "Do you want to come with me, we'll get you something to eat and a nice soft bed to lie down."

The girl nodded, her head resting on the woman's shoulder. "Do...do you know who I am?"

The older woman smiled sadly, before kissing the girl on the forehead. "Why, you're the little girl I've been looking for, my daughter."

"Why don't I remember you?" the little girl said, wiping her eyes.

"Because you took quite a tumble, love," Dorea said, trying to hide the fact she was seething at that sod Dagworth-Granger. Or rather, his relatives from 20 years in the future.

The little girl just nodded and hugged Dorea tighter. Standing, she turned and walked to the public floos that were nearby. Before stepping into the floo, she seethed again.

Dagworth-Granger hadn't just transported this girl to 1971. He managed to _deage_ her to five years old!


	2. Big Brother

Charlus Potter knew his wife wasn't an impulsive woman. She was a Black, the daughter of Cygnus Black and Violetta Bulstrode Black. Impulsive wasn't in the family vocabulary. It was strange coming home to find Maggie watching over James closely, Dorea nowhere to be seen. Moments after Charlus sighed and sat in his easy chair by the floo, green flames suddenly erupted and out stepped his loving wife of many years, carrying a small bundle in her arms.

"Dorea..." Charlus began, softly, as to not disturb the girl in his wife's arms. "What did you do?"

"What makes you think I did anything dear?" Dorea said, smiling, laying the girl down on the couch across from the fireplace.

"The fact that you have a child I've never seen in our home? A child that seems very comfortable with you, mind," Charlus started.

"Remember that potion that batty man Dagworth-Granger keyed us to after we almost lost James?" she asked. After James was born, he had some complications, and so did Dorea. Those complications resulted in James being held in Saint Mungo's until he was 2 months old and Dorea had undergone a magical procedure which meant she wouldn't be able to conceive another child.

"Of course I do. That potion was meant to send a child to us that was in danger, regardless of the year that child came from, they would always come to us when it was deemed safest," Charlus said, his eyes widening. "Are you saying that this child was sent to us because she was in danger?"

"I believe so," she said nodding. "There's something else dear. There's magic radiating off this child. I have reason to believe she is from the future, and that she was older when she ingested the potion."

"Is there any way to be sure?" Charlus asked.

"I can try legilimancy," Dorea said softly. "She's asleep, so any barrier she has would be down right now anyway. With your permission, darling. She is your child now too."

At his nod, Dorea aimed her wand at the sleeping girl. Slipping through the girl's mind was relatively easy. Most of the memories at the forefront of her mind were of Dorea, who, in the girl's mind was her ultimate protector, her savior. Finally, Dorea came upon a memory that didn't involve the five year old version of the girl in front of her.

 _The potion bottle was a sickly green. The girl thought about pretending to take a sip, but decided against it. Downing the whole bottle, the last thing she heard was "I'm sorry, Hermione."_

Pulling out of the girl's mind, Dorea looked horrified. "Her name is Hermione. She was eleven when her parents made her take the potion. She was born September nineteeth, nineteen seventy-nine. She's five now, physically and mentally. The only memory of her previous life I was able to see was her last few moments before she was sent away."

Before Charlus could reply, the girl started stirring, whimpering. "Mummy? Daddy?"

"We're right here, love. How are you feeling?" Dorea said, softly.

"My head hurts," Hermione said. "And my tummy feels funny."

"We'll get you something to make you feel better, love," Charlus said, smiling softly.

Hermione nodded, and reached out for Charlus' hand. Taking the small hand in his own, he sat on the couch by her legs, causing Hermione to slide down and lean into Charlus' side.

Smiling at the sight, Dorea slipped into the kitchen to pour a glass a juice, depositing a few drops of headache relief and stomach soother potions to help Hermione feel better. On the way back to the living room, Hermione caught sight of James sitting on the bottom of the staircase, staring at his father and Hermione. "James, love, I'm going to take this to Hermione and then I'll speak with you about what's happening, okay?"

"Yes, mum," James said, nodding. "Is she okay?"

"She will be, my love."

After returning to the living room to give Hermione the juice and whispering to Charlus that she was going to talk to James, she returned to the hallway to lead her son into the kitchen, where she deposited a glass of pumpkin juice in front of him and a cup of tea for herself before sitting back down.

"James, do you remember what we told you happened after you were born?" she began.

"Yes mum," he said, fidgeting with the corner of the tablecloth. "You and dad said I was born too early and I had to stay in Saint Mungo's for a few months. And you had problems and you can't have more kids."

"There was one other thing we never told you, love," Dorea sighed. "After we brought you home, a potioneer named Hector Dagworth-Granger created a potion that saves a child if they're in danger. The potion acts like a portkey when it reacts with the acids in the stomach. Then, the child would be transported within five kilometers of our home. This morning, that potion was activated. Hermione was in danger, and she took the potion. Tomorrow, your father and I will be going to the ministry to officially make Hermione a Potter."

"So, I have a sister now?" James asked, smiling.

"You do, love," Dorea replied. "Now, Hermione is only about five, and I don't know if she's ever been around magic, so you'll have to go easy on her, alright?"

"I will, mum," James said, polishing off his juice. "Can I go see her?"

"You may," Dorea said, smiling softly. "She's going to need a lot of love and support, James. As well as the love of an older brother."

James' smiling face morphed into one of determination as he nodded and walked to the living room to meet his little sister.

Dorea followed, staying by the door to help the kids get used to each other without her interference.

"Hi, I'm James," he said, sitting on the floor in front of Hermiond and his father. "I'm your new big brother."

"I'm...I'm Hermione," she said softly.

"Is it okay if I call you Mia?" James asked. "Hermione is a mouthful."

The little girl giggled. "Can I call you Jamie? I like Jamie better than James."

"You can call me anything you want, little sister," James said, smiling and reaching up to tousle her hair. "Hey, do you wanna go see my room? I have a lot of toys in the playroom beside my room that you might like too!"

"After you show Hermione your room and the play room, why don't you help her get settled in her bedroom? Mippy and Maggie put her across the hall from you," Dorea finally spoke.

"A play room? And my own room?" Hermione said excitedly. "Let's go, Jamie!"

Dorea smiled as she heard the laughing children running up the stairs and turned to her husband. "That went a lot better than I expected."

"James is a good boy," Charlus said, smiling. "I'm worried how Hermione is going to act when he starts Hogwarts in September though."

"She"ll have us," Dorea said, sitting beside her husband and putting her head on his shoulder. "We could also set up play dates with people like the Longbottoms, the Bones, and Weasleys, even though Molly and Arthur's son is only one, it would still give her interaction with kids."

Meanwhile, Hermione was enthralled with James' room and the play room. "Hey Mia, here's my old chess set. Wanna play?"

"Maybe later, Jamie. What's this?" she asked, pointing to a wooden box, covered by a lid with "JCP" carved into the lid.

"Those are my old stuffed animals, there's a few dragons, a hippogriff, a lion, and a few others."

"What's a hippogriff, Jamie?" Hermione asked.

"I think I have a magizoology book around here somewhere...here it is!" He said, pulling a book off of the shelf by the window. "Let's see...hippogriff...here's a few pictures, Mia."

"It's scary and pretty at the same time!" she said, hiding her face in James' chest."

"Hey Mia, you wanna go see your room?" James said, trying to change the subject.

"Sure!" she said, smiling again.

* * *

A few hours later, the family of four were sitting down to a dinner of shepherd's pie.

"Did you enjoy your afternoon with James, Hermione?" Dorea asked.

"Oh, yes! He showed me his room and the play room, and he showed me what a hippogriff is, and then he taught me how to play wizard's chess!" she said excitedly.

"Did you see your room, dear?" Charlus asked, helping himself to more pumpkin juice.

"Oh yes, Daddy!," she said, smiling brightly. "Mummy, your friends Mippy and Maggie are amazing!"

"That they are dear, I would be dreadfully lost without them," Dorea agreed. "Hermione, once you've finished eating, we're going to take a bath and get ready for bed, alright? You too, James."

"Yes, mum," they replied in unison.

* * *

Hours later, James woke up to a knock on his door. "Jamie?" It was Hermione, sniffling and wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her night shirt.

"Mia?" James said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I had a bad dream, can I sleep with you?" she asked, sniffling again.

"Yeah, Mia, come on," he said, shifting over and lifting the blankets. "Hey, I found the stuffed lion you wanted to have on my desk after dinner, d'you want me to grab it for you?"

Nodding, Hermione made herself comfortable in her new brother's bed. By the time James had retrieved the lion and returned to bed, Hermione was sound asleep. Tucking the stuffed animal under her arm, he climbed into bed behind her and wrapped his arms around her when she rolled over and curled into him.

 _"Maybe it isn't so hard to be a big brother after all,"_ James thought as he fell asleep.


End file.
